Improvement in gates



w. J. WOOSTER. Improvement in Gates.

Patented Sep. 3

Witnesses lnv ent r PATENT ()FFIGE.

WILLIAM J. WOOSTER, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN GATES.

Specification forming part of'Letters Patent No. 131,043, datedSeptember 3, 1872.

SPECIFICATION.

I, WILLIAM J. WOOSTER, of Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State ofIllinois, have invented an Improvement in Gates, of which the followingis a specification:

The present invention relates to an improvement in that class of gateswhich is designed to be operated bya person in a carriage or onhorseback without alighting; and the particular novelty consists in theconstruction and arrangement of the pivoted levers for operating thegate; the arrangement of the levers, as they are combined with the draftchain and rod, and standard; a slotted hinge, admittin g the gate to beraised and detach the latch by the draft-chain a drop-weight, fordetaching the latch which holds open the gate and balancing-weight,which may be put on one of the operating levers to balance gates ofdifferent weights; as the whole is hereinafter fully described andshown.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a perspective representation of my improvedgate, the latter being closed. The dotted lines A show the position ofthe gate when open. Fig.2 shows the drop-weight, jamb-post, andweightcord or wire.

A represents the hanging -post B, the jamb-post proper; O, a length offence; and D, the gate-all of which are constructed in the usual manner,except such parts as hereinafter especially described. E F representposts whose face-line is at right angles to the line of fence, and whoseheights are a little greater than the height of a carriage or othervehicle which is to pass under the lever G H. These levers are pivotedto the top ends of the posts E F by means of slotted or swivel joints,so that they can be swung up and down without binding, and their twoinner ends are connected together by any suitable loose-jointattachment, so that, when one lever is operated upon to move, the otherwill move the same distance. A sheave-block, I, is attached to lever Gat J, and a similar block, K, is attached to an inclined standard, L, atM, and

- a chain, N, is fastened to the inclined standard at 0, and it passesthrough sheave-blocks I and K and connects with a rod, P, fastening atthe opposite end to the gate. The position of the inclined standard L issuch that its top end supports the sheave-block K at a point which isthe axis of the curve formed by the line of the swinging end of thegate, by means of which an unequal strain is obviated, while at the sametime the gate is as readily opened by one lever as the other. Adrop-weight,R, is hung by a wire, S, to the inner ends of the levers,and, it runs through a staple or small pulley, T, so that when the gateis to be loosened from the latch U, preparatory to bein g shut, all thatis required is that either lever shall be raised a little at the outerend. This movement will allow the weight to strike the end of the latchU and lift the opposite end from the slot of the gate.

The means for raising the ends of levers G H consist of dependingstandards '0 o, pivoted to the ends of said levers, said dependingstandards having cords to attached to theirlower ends for theconvenience of reaching the levers when the gate is shut. The latchwhich holds the gate shut is an ordinary one,

and that it may be lifted out of its catch 7 without any specialattachment, the upper hinge X of the gate is slotted out longitudinally,so that the chain and rod which swing the gate will also lift thegate-latch out of the catch.

In order that a light and heavy gate may be operated equally well by thedevices described, a weight, Z, is arranged to be attached to one of thelevers at any point indicated by lines 01, d, and e, by means of whichlittle or no more power is required to operate a heavy gate than a lightone.

It will be seen from this description that the depending standards v ohang directly over the drive-way, and that a carriage is to be drivenunder them, so they are readily reached by the cordsw. e

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The balancing-weight Z, arranged to be attached at different points,d, on the lever, when combined with said levers, draft-chain, and gate,as set forth.

2. The levers G H, pivoted to posts E F, and pivoted together at' theirinner ends, and

combined with the wire S and drop-weight R, 4. The slotted hinge X, whencombined with for loosening the latch U by the weight fallthe gate,levers G H, chain and rod N P, and ing on its end, as set forth. sheavesI K, substantially as specified.

3. The combination of the levers G H, in- WILLIAM J. WOOSTER. clinedstandard L, rod and chain N P, sheaveblocks I K, depending standards oo, and Witnesses: gate, as and for the purpose shown and de- E. S.WEEDEN, scribed. V GEO. A. FISH.

